Someone needs to invoke the "honest effort" rule and DQ him for setting the bar at 6.30, 6.31, 6.32. Come on dude, joke's over. See where your real limit's at.
Joke will be on him if he gets career-ending injury though.
The dude had two misses before he got it on his third jump at that height. It’s still hard to do.
The men's pole vault is by far and away the most boring and predictable event in track and field right now, and this includes the 10Ks and steeples. It's the same dudes high-fiving each other and the same story every time they meet. Hard pass for me until some new story line comes along.
He gets an extra 100k for every time he breaks it. He has broken the world record 14 times already. He probably has a respectable net worth by this point.
Worth anywhere between $5M-15M. I'd say he's good.
The guy practically pole vaulted out of his mother's womb, with his elite pole vaulter dad. He could go 6.50 any time he wants.
Someone needs to invoke the "honest effort" rule and DQ him for setting the bar at 6.30, 6.31, 6.32. Come on dude, joke's over. See where your real limit's at.
Joke will be on him if he gets career-ending injury though.
I don't fault him for breaking the world record by 1-2 cms at a time. I'm sure that he gets a nice bonus from Puma each time he breaks it, plus it gives many more fans the thrill of seeing a new world record.
Someone needs to invoke the "honest effort" rule and DQ him for setting the bar at 6.30, 6.31, 6.32. Come on dude, joke's over. See where your real limit's at.
Joke will be on him if he gets career-ending injury though.
The dude had two misses before he got it on his third jump at that height. It’s still hard to do.
If you break the world record on 33% of your attempts it's not hard to do.
Lots of people in this thread are talking past each other, but I think generally agree with each other. Two things can be possible. One one hand it makes sense what Mondo is doing and most people would do the same thing. It also it probably in the best interest of the sport as it creates headlines every time he breaks the WR. But on the other hand it's very frustrating watching an elite athlete not really push himself in a sport all about pushing the limits of human potential.
Personally, I don't find what Mondo is doing particularly compelling to watch. That's not a knock to Mondo, since I'd do the same thing. Is a human pole vaulting over 6.40 inherently more entertaining to watch than someone pole vaulting over 6.30? I don't think so. I doubt 99% of people can visually even tell a difference. What I find compelling in athletics is people pushing themselves and striving to be the best they can be. This is why I also love high school and college athletics. Even though Mondo is vaulting absolutely absurd heights, it's not what I love the sport. It's like watching Jakob Ingebrigtsen run a 3:35 1500m against high school competition.
Guys, it's very easy. Stop watching! But I can tell you for free, that no one cares what you do. His sponsor is loving him, millions of people are loving it, meet directors are begging him to break the record at their meet...you guys can go be fans of guys who are putting in an honest effort and making peanuts, for the rest of the world and the casual fans...we are Mondo!!
Just stop reading comments if you don’t like them!
Why should I care as a fan that Mondo is making money? Does anybody really care other than Mondo and his family? Mondo getting paid doesn’t entertain me. People putting in an honest effort and making peanuts IS more entertaining than some guy half assing it but getting paid millions.
I don't mind that he keeps breaking the record by 1cm, but it's annoying that he goes crazy and feigns shock every time when he probably clears 10cm higher in practice.
Love the name choice! Speaking of altitude, remember that the previous records by Lavillenie 6.16 and Bubka 6.15 were both set indoors. Renaud’s outdoor best is 6.05. Bubka’s is 6.14, but that was at altitude, so Mondo has the best outdoor non-attitude bearing Bubka’s 6.13 (jumped in Tokyo this week on 1992!) by a whopping 17cm.
Karalis might have cleared a bar set ar 6.13 today, bur he didn’t have the luxury to call his own progression wirh Mondo clearing everything. A historic day for sure.
mondo was out there jumping longer than the men’s or women’s marathon finishing times…for the last place athletes!
I don’t blame Mondo milking it for as much money as he can get.
What I don’t like however is the playacting and the way he will purposely miss the first two attempts, sit on the crash mat and pretend he’s figuring out what went wrong, look to his parents in the crowd (like they can do anything), and then magically break the record on the third and final attempt.
Why is no-one calling him out the way he knocks down the bar with his hand or body on those first two world record attempts?
So he miraculously clears it on his third attempt, runs to the crowd, high fives his family, kisses his girlfriend, poses for photographers, gives his shoes away (so Puma Nitro gets extra coverage) then he runs part way around the track.
It’s all theater, I get it, but he does the same performative schtick every single time… in one centimeter increments.
I don’t blame Mondo milking it for as much money as he can get.
What I don’t like however is the playacting and the way he will purposely miss the first two attempts, sit on the crash mat and pretend he’s figuring out what went wrong, look to his parents in the crowd (like they can do anything), and then magically break the record on the third and final attempt.
Why is no-one calling him out the way he knocks down the bar with his hand or body on those first two world record attempts?
So he miraculously clears it on his third attempt, runs to the crowd, high fives his family, kisses his girlfriend, poses for photographers, gives his shoes away (so Puma Nitro gets extra coverage) then he runs part way around the track.
It’s all theater, I get it, but he does the same performative schtick every single time… in one centimeter increments.
the shoe brands pay the athletes because people pay attention to the athletes
breaking the world record draws attention, even if happens multiple times a year.
this is a fair exchange
that is the weakest possible excuse for highlighting Mondo or his silly sport.
the athletes act, theoretically, at best as a general billboard for shoe company logos. If the camera wasn't on Mondo it would be on some other athlete with the same logo. Particularly considering the jumps are usually shown in cutaways from a distance race, with about 10 logos on screen at once.
but all theory aside, the broadcasters make zero effort to highlight the sponsors. They are barely noticeable, and the shoes themselves are rarely shown close up. The sad truth of it is the track shoe market is niche, and these companies make nearly all their revenue elsewhere. What they spend on these guys is diddly squat compared to what they spend on money sports.
End of the day, I am not entertained by Mondo. Boring. There are other parts of the meet that are entertaining and they should cut the boring part.
I just watched the PV comp without knowing the outcome, and it was absolutely compelling. Reading about his 6.29, I felt ho hum about it, but watching the 6.3 unfold from the very beginning, it was magical and sublime. That stadium was still packed even though there were no more races left. Now I get it. You keep doing you, Mondo!